Bittersweet Sacrifices
by megmeg999
Summary: One night after Homecoming changed this Puff's life forever. Follow Buttercup's agonizing nine month roller coaster, and see what become of the "not dating" Green duo. Can Butch step up to the plate for the woman he loves?  created at the request of many
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! I've gotten a lot of emails about the Thanksgiving Day oneshot I posted. Many asked that I continue the story, follow Buttercup's…situation. Well, I've finally decided to go ahead and start a new fanfiction with this. It will not be word for word what happened in the oneshot, I did change a few things. But for the most part, it is the same. I hope you all like it! :) So, here you go! The prologue. :D Enjoy!**

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><p>The music roared, lights flickered, and the floor shook as the excitement of Homecoming filed the gymnasium. Techno music that oddly was danceable. Blossom and Buttercup were dancing with their respective dates as the stereos pumped, mirroring the intense thrill that ran through each and every member of the Homecoming dance.<p>

"This is probably the best dance since our high school career started," Buttercup remarked to her sister as they slowly started to make their way off the floor.

Blossom nodded in agreement, whispering for a few drinks to her date, a guy that had an intense crush on her from Calculus class. She was silent a moment, watching Buttercup's random date leave as well, possibly to assist. "I agree. Although . . . I'm still a bit stunned you didn't say yes to Butch, but you said yes to a Kyle. You hardly knew his name before this week."

"True," she replied as she settled herself in her chair at the table. "But he's hot, and Butch is going to get seriously jealous. It's the perfect set up. A win/win situation."

"How does Butch win from that? He already acts as if you're a goddess come to life."

Buttercup remained silent, smiling at their dates as they came back with four cups of punch, and _pure_ punch, not the spiked one. "Consider it a safety measure, to be certain it says that way," she said simply, sipping her drink before a brilliant smile spread across her face. "Butch!" she called eagerly.

As if without effort, Butch's gaze locked on hers from the entrance not too far from their table, his date as his side. His jade green eyes were practically sparking with excitement as he feasted his eyes on his favorite person. He led his date to the table, a girl that had been chasing him for months, but he never truly was interested in. She had been a last minute resort when he realized his likelihood of attending Homecoming with Buttercup had been next to nothing (having already accepted Kyle's invite).

"Buttercup, looking smokin' as always." He took her hand when she stood, twirling her to get full view of her ensemble. A short strapless, plaid taffeta print dress, with a sweetheart neckline and corset lace-up in a lime green and black color. The matching black heels, a good four inches high, only brought her about to his chin. She always was the shortest of her sister. At a mere five foot five, it irritated her sometimes that Butch was a good foot above her head.

Her eyes ran over every inch of Butch's body, taking in the black dress pants, and rather form fitting dark green button down, black tie loose around his neck. "You're lookin' pretty good yourself, boy. Did you down a bottle of steroids before you got here? That shirt looks like your about to hulk out of it."

His smirk grew into a playful smile as he watched her sit, pulling up a chair from the table over and straddling it. Chin rested on his forearms, Butch struggled not to grin like a little girl at the mere sight of Buttercup. "So how you enjoying the dance?"

Buttercup's eyes were locked on the drifting figure of Butch's date, a faint smirk on her thin lips. "Uh, better than your date it would seem. She just left."

Butch's eyes shot over his shoulder, at his no longer present date. "Huh," he said simply, returning his gaze to his princess. "Well that sucks."

"Hmm…" was all Buttercup replied, shrugging a bit as she crossed her slender legs, sending little fantasies off in Butch's head.

"Don't mind me," Blossom interrupted, bringing the two sets of green eyes to meet hers. "I have a special dance I've been saving, so I will be back soon."

"Uh-huh," the green Ruff and Puff said, smirking at each other as they watched Blossom disappear onto the dance floor and into Brick's embrace.

They watched her a moment, chuckling at the way she blushed when he complimented how stunning she was in her coral Chiffon high low spaghetti strap dress, his eyes struggling to leave the jewel beaded sweetheart neckline of her gown. He wore something similar to Butch, while his was a dark red, almost scarlet color shirt, with black pinstripes throughout. He took her into his arms, holding her close as he whispered little remarks to her in her ear, causing Blossom to giggle endlessly, almost forgetting entirely she was with another guy at this dance (who had found another dance partner of his own).

"Is he ever planning to tell her he's absolutely in love with her?" Buttercup inquired.

"Is she ever going to stop being completely blind and figure it out herself?" Butch retorted.

She considered that a second, laughing a bit to herself. "Good question." Her eyes darted right, easily finding Bubbles and her boyfriend on the dance floor.

Bubbles was curled up in Boomer's embrace, hands delicately on his chest as she rested her head on his shoulder. She wore a long, fitted material taffeta dress, with a lower back zipper and a sweetheart neckline. The pacific blue of her dress went perfectly with her blonde hair, making her look bright and peppy (like her personality). Boomer had on a royal blue button down, with a white vest and black with lighter blue diagonal pinstripe tie.

"Your date just walked away," Butch added, breaking through her thoughts.

She looked beside her, and Kyle had indeed walked away. He stood about thirty feet away, asking Butch's old date to a dance. Oddly enough, it irritated Buttercup that he ditched her. Nonetheless, Butch's moving to the seat beside her leaning onto the table in her direction helped her forget any thought of Kyle.

"Why did you say yes to him and not me?" he inquired, leaning even more in her direction as he brought his chair closer. "Would have saved our dates a hell of a lot of trouble."

Buttercup leaned closer as well, their faces now inches apart. "Now, I'd considered that. But you have a tendency to want to screw the girls you go out with."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"What makes you think I'd want us to ever sleep together?"

Butch moved in, his forehead now pressed to hers affectionately as he teasingly murmured, "Because I know you're _madly_ in love with me."

She couldn't help laughing as she let her head fall onto his shoulder, her form shaking with giggles. "You have such an ego."

He pulled back, cupping her chin with his thumb and forefinger, bringing her eyes to his once more. Nothing was said between them, their intense gaze like a wild sex experience that no one could comprehend. The passion and desire for each other grew with every second they watched each other.

Without warning, Butch let his lips brush against hers, but Buttercup didn't fight him in the least. His lips were warm, sweet, and moist. As the kiss deepened, she felt a faint burning in her mouth, an aftertaste of the alcohol he'd had from the obviously spiked punch. It felt as if an hour had passed before their lips finally parted, both panting a little too heavily.

"Still not interested in taking my date's place?" Butch asked, though he had meant it jokingly. Nevertheless, Buttercup considered his offer a moment before shooting to her feet, gathering her jacket and purse. "Where are you going?"

"_We're_ going," she clarified.

She gripped his hand, dragging him along. "Where are _we_ going?"

"Get your stuff, player. You wanted to get lucky didn't ya? Move it before I change ma mind!"

It had taken the Ruff a moment to process her reply before a little flag went up in his head, and a grin spread across his face. "Ah, hell yeah!" he cheered as he darted for his table, grabbing his blazer and quickly returning to her. "Let's get outta here, babe."

Ignoring the term he used for her, she allowed herself to laugh and lead him back to his car.

xxx

"Room for two, one night only," Butch said to the motel owner.

"Here ya go," was all the guy said when he received the cash, hardly looking at Butch as he passed him the key in a bored manner. He popped his gum and returned to his Playboy magazine.

Butch ignored the irritation that rose in him at the owner's ignorance, and rudeness. But the sight of Buttercup, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, curled up in his blazer nervously as she waited, melted every ounce of impatience that he once held. "I got the key," he said when he approached her.

Her eyes lit up a bit, and she led the way to the room, his hand on her lower back comfortingly the entire way. With a shaky hand, she unlocked the door and led him into the dark room. Buttercup didn't even wait for him to turn the light before she threw off his jacket and kissed him like she'd never kissed anyone before. It wasn't long before they were panting, his shirt already off, and he was propped on top of her as they sprawled out on the bed.

"Are you sure about this?" Butch murmured against her lips. It surprised even him. It was the first time he'd _ever_ asked someone if they were uncomfortable with sex. He just took what he could get.

"Absolutely," she said simply, letting him undo the back zipper of her dress. The kisses fell upon her like a shower of desire, hot and hungry. The steam built in the room, and the temperature rose a good fifteen degrees.

Slowly but surely, their passions overtook them and they lost themselves in the heat of the moment, and this was surely the best night of both their lives…

xxx

A month or so had passed since that unforgettable night at Homecoming, or rather, after Homecoming. Buttercup was still aglow from the experience. It was not as if she were inexperienced. However, it was as if she had been, from the way Butch had made her feel. It was like nothing she could describe, or even comprehend. Her skin sometimes still tingled where he kissed her, when he caressed her, and ever touch had felt like new that night.

"Buttercup, do me a favor," Blossom said from the kitchen. "I want you to taste something I just made."

Blossom…in the kitchen? A tight knot built in her stomach at the very thought, let alone having to think about something attempted to _cook_. Blossom was many things; a chef was certainly not one of them. "Coming!" she called back reluctantly from the couch in the living room.

With a grumble she made her way to the kitchen, nearly gagging at the smell that could only be described as a burning skunk, dipped in charcoal. Her hand instantly went to her mouth and nose, shielding both as if she were fighting of a smell worse than death. "Holy shit, what the fuck did you sacrifice? It smells like Satan died and rotted in here."

Blossom frowned in response, her pony tail draped over her shoulder as she leaned up from checking the oven. "It's not that bad. It's just chicken. I couldn't have messed it up _that_ badly," she replied with a whiney tone.

"My senses would beg to differ," Buttercup retorted under her breath.

"Come try it, please."

Using all her might to walk forward, rather than run out like she wanted, Buttercup took the fork from her sister's hand and pulled apart the chicken leg set before her. She took one_ hesitant_ bite, her sister's nervous appraisal on her the entire time. Buttercup struggled to swallow it, but there was no use, she couldn't hold it down.

Without warning, Buttercup took off down the hallway, and found the bathroom toilet seat before she could process what she'd been doing. The sound of her gags only brought on more of a need to throw up, and she felt like she would be spending hours here. Luckily, it was only a minute later that Blossom rushed in, looking hurt and disturbed at the same time. "Gosh, it wasn't that bad was it? I followed the recipe down to a _t_. It can't be that bad."

Buttercup collapsed against the seat, flushing the toilet before the sight made her want to be sick more and panted ever so faintly.

Blossom saw her sister, and it clicked in her head faster than her middle sister's. "Buttercup, are you alright?"

"You're fuckin' chicken made me sick. Of course I'm not alright!" she snapped, sounding even snippier than normal. It wasn't even a second after having finished her sentence that her hand went to her mouth and she looked apologetic. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, Blossom. I didn't mean that!"

The pink Puff said nothing in response, having sauntered out the door, her long auburn pony tail swishing side to side with each stride. Remorseful, but unwilling to rush after her sister, Buttercup forced herself to her feet and went to wash out her mouth. Not even a moment or two later, after just finishing brushing her teeth, Blossom returned and shut the door, locking it behind her.

"Blossom? What are you doing?" she asked as her eldest sister shoved her to the toilet, having her sit and listen as she spoke.

"Take this test," Blossom demanded, shoving a small pink carton at her with force. "Now."

Uncomprehendingly, Buttercup examined the exchanged box, and reality hit her like a slap in the face. "A pregnancy test?"

A simple nod was all she received for an answer.

"What the fuck are you even doing with a pregnancy test?"

"A friend from dance got a bit of a scare last month," she explained. "I kept a spare just in case. Take the test, _now_."

Buttercup's hand began to shake at the thought. She was silent a moment, thinking about the date, struggling to prove the test would prove her right, that she wasn't pregnant. But, Blossom had a logical point . . . her period was six days late. "Shit," she murmured to herself. "Please, god no . . ."

Blossom knelt beside her sister, helping her open the package. "Whatever the results, I'm right here with you when you find out."

xxx

Never in Buttercup's life had three minutes felt like three hours. As she paced the bathroom, her fingers digging into her palms, her sister sat where she once did, legs crossed as she waited with eerie patience. "How can you be so calm about this?" she asked in a whiney tone. "I'm ready to pull my hair out here!"

Blossom met her gaze, looking almost offended by the question. "Do you honestly think I'm not worried here? I just have a little more self-control then you do. Just sit down and be patient. Hum that song you've been singing all week. That Three Days Grace song, whatever it's called."

A dramatic eye roll later, Buttercup sat on the edge of the tub, wishing she could just let herself fall back and let her head crack open at the impact against the wall. Unfortunately, the most it would do is put a _dent_ in the wall, a break her piggy bank. She hummed the song, and about half way through, she groaned and shot to her feet. "This is ridiculous! Is it ready?"

"Yes," Blossom replied, glancing at her pink watch as she spoke. "Go ahead and look."

Buttercup froze. Why had she pushed for it so much? She couldn't bear to see the answer now. "I can't…you do it!"

With a hesitant step, Blossom rose to her feet and went to the counter, taking the test and staring between it and her quivering sister. "Are you sure you don't want to be the first to see it?"

There was no reluctance in her nod. "I'm sure. Just look."

Sighing defeated, Blossom flipped it over and looked at the answer, going tense at the sight. "I think you'll want to see this."

Buttercup's eyes went huge at the reply from her sister, taking the test from Blossom's outstretched hand. She closed her eyes, and after a brief breath in and out, opened them ever so slightly for the answer. One simple word…it took one simple to make this Puff lose every breath in her body, every comprehendible thought in her mind. One word, it changed Buttercup's life forever…

_**Pregnant**_


	2. Month 1

"I can't believe this. This test has to be wrong."

Blossom watched her sister pace at the foot of the bed, herself sprawled out on top as she made a list that Buttercup didn't care enough to look at for details. "We can go take a ride to the drug store, get a second test to be sure. But, it's a very unlikely chance it's wrong."

Buttercup turned on her heels to her face her sister. "But they can be wrong, right?"

"Theoretically."

Buttercup was scrambling to grab her favorite black leather jacket, an asymmetrical zip front with double snap closure at top, before strolling for the door. "Let's go, woman! Move your ass!"

Quickly grabbing her black open front, long sleeve knit cardigan, Blossom sprinted after her sister, grabbing her keys and purse mid-run. "Must you use such vocabulary?" she remarked as she crawled into her car.

Nothing was said in response from Buttercup. She remained silent, leaning against the window, watching the rain fall as she prayed to whatever gods there may be that the first test had been wrong. She prayed, and begged, and wished, that she could go back in time. Buttercup wanted to reverse the clock, to undo her slip up, to not have let her feelings for Butch cloud her judgment and give in to him like nothing.

But she was smart. Buttercup knew there were no time machines, no magic spells, and no powers in this universe that could undo the time and reverse her mistake. Chances are, she was pregnant…with Butch's baby of all things. She felt like an utter imbecile. She was a senior! This was _her _year to enjoy high school for once in her life. This was the best year of high school, and she would miss so much. The field trips, Prom, sports events…maybe even graduation.

She banged her head against the window of Blossom's brilliant white Hyundai Sonata, a brief whine escaping her lips. "I'm such a fucking idiot," she muttered.

"You are not, Buttercup," Blossom assured her, rubbing her sister's shoulder as she drove. "It happens sometimes, you know? Mary was pregnant at sixteen! You're a whole two years older than she had been when she gave birth to the savior of the world."

"Please don't start comparing me to the Virgin Mary," she remarked snippily as she met her sister's gaze. "You're not even religious."

"So? Almost everyone knows who she is, doesn't mean I have to be religious to use her as a logical comparison." A dramatic eye roll was all of a response Blossom received. "My point however, is that this isn't the end of the world. This can be dealt with easily. You have tons of options, all of which I support you on. No matter what."

"Suuure," she muttered to her sister, staring out the window once more at the dark clouds of midafternoon, the rain streaking down the glass like her tears wanted to at that very moment. But she held them in, though not without effort.

After a few more distressing minutes of silence between the two Puffs, Blossom pulled in to the Rite-Aid, a pharmacy by their house. Buttercup bolted through the rain and inside before Blossom had a chance to even open her door, though she quickly caught up.

"Jeeze, woman. The tests aren't going to disappear if you _walk_ to the aisle."

"Uh-huh," Buttercup said mindlessly, staring at the exceptionally long aisle of tests, condoms, and other feminine products. Her gaze locked on the pregnancy test, and eyes went huge as saucers. "There's got to be fifty fucking tests here! How the hell am I supposed to know which ones work best?"

Blossom stared over a few of the names, recalling commercials she'd seen on television and the ones that were said to be the best for this situation. A moment or so later, she reached for a blue box, handing it to her fidgety sister. "Clear Blue Easy Digital, that's supposedly a very reliable test."

Buttercup stared at it a moment, reaching for another box of a different color to compare. "What about this First Response thing. Is this one good?"

"By all accounts, it is. Though, I've never had to test the dependability of them myself. So it's purely a guesstimation on my part. Go ahead and pick one. Either will give you an answer."

After a _long_ moment of consideration, Buttercup took both and threw them into the small blue hand basket, grabbing two other ones that were different from the first two and throwing them in as well. Blossom scoffed in utter disbelief as Buttercup took the cart and started for the counter. "What?" she asked innocently. "Just a precaution, to test in case those are wrong too."

Blossom merely rolled her eyes as they stood at the counter, growing a tad irritated at the smirk on the male cashier's lips as he scanned their items. "Something funny, sir?" she inquired snippily, though respectfully.

He shrugged, shaking his head. "Nothing, dearie. I take it one of ya'll got a yes to a test?"

Buttercup's eyes locked on the multi-color haired cashier, looking guilty and exasperated at the same time. "What makes you think that?"

Ricki, so the name tag listed him as, gave her a "what do you think" sort of look, in the most dramatic way he knew possible. "Sweetie, no gal comes in here lookin' for this many pregnancy tests on their first time. Now if they get a _yes_ on the first one, they come in looking for twenty, just to test one after the other, until they get a no. Ya know when they end up getting that no?"

"Twenty first time?"

"Neva'."

Buttercup screamed irritably, throwing her head back as she practically growled and began to pace behind her sister once more. "Don't mind her," Blossom explained.

Ricki waved it off and smiled. "Don't worry 'bout it doll, it's totally normal. Here ya go. I'd start with the First Response. They're the least likely to give a false positive. Best one of the bunch." He handed back the bag of goods to Blossom and nodded farewell to the duo once the cash was exchanged. "Good luck to ya'll!"

"Thanks," was all Buttercup muttered as she stormed out, followed by her eldest sister.

The tension Buttercup felt made each second on the ride home feel as if they were three times as long. However, after having _finally_ reached their house and concealed themselves in the privacy of Blossom's room, Buttercup dumped her bag of goodies onto the bed and looked for the recommended test. "I'm gonna take this, I'll be out in a minute."

Blossom nodded as she placed her coat on the back of her computer chair, then gathering the remaining tests and putting them safely away (and away from Bubbles' sneaky reach).

A minute later, Buttercup returned from the bathroom, putting the cap on the test as she struggled to keep herself from collapsing. "It's going, two more minutes."

"Buttercup," Blossom said, watching her green eyed sister settle onto the bed and stare endlessly at the test in her hand. "What are you going to do if it _is_ positive? You have to consider the possibility it is."

She sighed heavily, letting the test settle beside her as she fell back onto the pillows. "What do you think I should do?"

She sighed, sitting in her computer chair, a thoughtful look on her face as she took out the list she'd been working on before their trip to the pharmacy. "Well, I can't answer that. You know I won't either. That's absolutely your decision. I will say this though . . ." Buttercup waited patiently. "I do _not_ think you should abort it."

In all honesty, that had been the first option to run through Buttercup's mind. But it legitimately brought her physical pain to consider it. "I won't," she said matter-of-factly. "I couldn't do that."

Blossom nodded understandingly, a faint twinge of relief in her system. "So what _do_ you want to do?"

Buttercup remained silent a minute, staring up at the ceiling as she thought. "I can't keep it. No way in hell I can keep it. . . . I couldn't play mother. I couldn't keep goldfish alive, let alone a baby."

"Okay, first off, you let _my _goldfish die. Probably because I accidentally let Bubbles borrow your favorite boots. And secondly, I remember how well you did on that parent project in junior year Health. You got the highest grade in the class!"

"That was a fucking doll, Blossom!" she snapped, bolting up to glare at her sister. "A living and breathing baby is a little more difficult to take care of. I couldn't risk hurting it." She laid back down, rubbing her forehead as a headache started to take form. "Besides, our lives are far too hectic to be a safe environment for a child."

"You're sounding like a responsible mother already," Blossom mused, crossing her legs as she rested her hands on her notebook. "You wouldn't even consider keeping it?"

She hesitated. "Do you think I should?"

"I think you _could_."

Buttercup considered that a moment and sighed in defeat, letting the subject die there. She would not be rushed into making such a difficult decision right now. Besides, she was still adamant in believing the first test had been a false positive.

"It's time," Blossom murmured, staring her sister down with a motherly gaze.

Buttercup hesitated a moment, unwilling to accept that this could very well be another positive. But she had to know, she couldn't bear waiting any longer. She stared down at the test beside her, reaching for it with shaky fingers. Buttercup took a deep breath and flipped it over…

After a moment or two of silence, Blossom grew nervous. "What is it?" she asked a little too anxiously.

The green Puff stared at her with a numb look. "Think we can stop by the drug store and get some prenatal vitamins?"

Despite the tight knot that built in Blossom's stomach for the coming months, she couldn't help smiling. "I'm going to be an aunt," she murmured to herself.

"That you are be . . . I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing yet though."

Blossom came to sit by her sister, hugging her shaking for as she sobbed ever so lightly. She don't know how long she sat there crying, but Buttercup knew this . . . the next nine months would be hell.

xxx

_One week later…._

It had been about a week since Buttercup's life-changing discover, and things were already quite different from the norm. "So you're first doctor's appointment is tomorrow," Blossom said, setting a bowl of Special K before Buttercup, her favorite cereal. "You nervous?"

"Not if you come, I won't be."

"Do you want me to come?" she asked as she settled herself beside her sister, who was sitting cross legged in her chair at the end of the table. "I can tell Danielle to take care of dace troop if you want me to."

Buttercup swallowed the bite of cereal she'd been chewing and nodded. "I would really love that. I can't ask Bubbles, because, well, she don't know about this," she said, gesturing to her unchanged stomach.

Blossom nodded, taking her iPhone out and texting the orders to her co-captain. She flipped her side swept bangs out of her eyes, staring at her sister as she finished the last bite of her cereal. "Gosh, Buttercup, slow it down. The cereal isn't going to disappear if you take normal bites."

"I'm sorry! But I'm hungry! I couldn't eat my weight in food right now . . . I need cheese," she whined, standing and bolting at Puff speed to the refrigerator. "There is no cheese in this fuckin' house? Are you kidding me?"

"Back of the top shelf, Buttercup."

A moment of search and Buttercup muttered, "Oh," with an embarrassed giggle. "Sorry."

"Hormones making you a tad temperamental I see. A little early for that isn't it?"

Buttercup shrugged as she sat down with her block of sharp cheddar, knife already slicing away. "Like that's the end of it. My breasts feel enormous, and they hurt like so fuckin' bad. My bra is killing me right now. I can't stand anything that smells like chicken. I almost threw up just looking at dinner last night. That's why I left the table. I went to the bathroom sixteen times since dinner last night too. Oh," she stopped cutting, pointing the knife conversationally at Blossom as she spoke. "And that cologne I got Butch for Christmas last year? The really great smelling one that makes me wanna jump him every time he's around wearing it? I gag at the smell of it." She continued slicing. "Morning sickness is making school a living nightmare, as if it wasn't already. I am nauseous _all of the time!_ I can't stand it. How normal women do this is beyond me. It's been what, a week already, and I'm ready to kill myself."

Blossom hardly blinked as the irritating symptoms were explained to her. "Sounds like an exciting journey," she remarks sarcastically.

"Exciting my ass, you ain't livin' it."

She giggled at her green eyes sister, before a question popped up in Blossom head. "You know, I still don't know who the father is."

"That's unnecessary information," Buttercup muttered.

Blossom gave her sister a suspicious look. "Buttercup…"

"Good morning, my beautiful sister!" Bubbles called cheerfully as she walked into the room, arms stretched out above her head. "Beautiful day isn't it? A wonderful way to start Saturday."

Blossom and Buttercup both fell into an awkward silence, exchanging nervous glances before watching their blonde hair sister flip through the cabinets. "So what are you doing today, Bubbles?" Blossom casually asked as Buttercup focused on slicing more cheese.

"Boomer is taking me out for the day," she explained as she grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter, leaning casually against it as she observed her sisters. "I told you about concert he's doing in San Diego, right? Well, he leaves on Monday. He will be gone until Thanksgiving. So he is spending the day with me to compensate for the time we won't be together here."

"Sounds romantic."

"It is!" she gushed, taking a bite of her apple. "What about you girls? What do you have planned for today? Spending the afternoon with your Ruff wannabee-boyfriends?"

"Brick is not my boyfriend, nor does he want to be," Blossom explained, her tone a tad sharper than normally.

Buttercup and Bubbles exchanged "yeah right" sorta looks before returning to their respective foods. "If you say so," Bubbles muttered, taking a bite again as she walked to the door. "Well, have fun with whatever it is you're doing. . . . Sheesh, cut up enough cheese there did ya, Buttercup? Since when do you even like sharp cheddar anyway?" she asked rhetorically as she walked out.

Buttercup was nervous by her sister's question a moment, but then she remembered this was _Bubbles_. And Bubbles was not the brightest person around, she didn't easily put two and two together. "So what time is the appointment?" she asked when she heard the door close to the front of the house.

"Eleven o'clock. And it's ten already. I would start to get ready if I were you," Blossom said as she rose, pushing her chair in. "Well, unless you plan to go to the doctor's in skull flannel pants and a gothic Mickey Mouse tee.

Buttercup allowed her eyes to skim over the ensemble she wore briefly before continuing to scarf the cheese before her. "This is gonna be a _long_ day," she murmured to herself as Blossom walked out of the room, wishing the headache in her head would stop like all of the other symptoms she wish she didn't have.

Her hand when to her stomach at the sudden feeling of swishing started deep within her tummy. Was the baby moving? Could it sense she wasn't excited about all of this? A deep sense of guilt suddenly hit Buttercup and she rubbed her stomach reassuringly, as if it would do any good. "God, what am I gonna do with you?"

xxx

Only sounds audible in the small mint green waiting room were the_ tick-tick_ of the hands on the clock, the _pop _of the lady behind the counter's gum, and Buttercup's black strap combat boots tapping the floor impatiently. Her leg shook, fingers rapping the wood arm rest of the uncomfortable chairs, staring around aimlessly.

Blossom was a tad more comfortable than her high strung sister. Sitting cross legged, a parent magazine from the rack nearby rested on thigh, she carelessly flipped through each page. "You need to relax," she said, not looking up from one article. "The stress is not good for the baby."

Buttercup spared a brief glare at her sister, shifting and mindlessly adjusting her already mini black pleated mini skirt. "This is killer. This kid is going to be born before they get me into the damn back room. Our appointment was an hour ago!" she yelled in hushed tones.

"You're not the only pregnant woman in the world, there were people before us. We should be-"

"Buttercup Utonium?" the nurse said from the door, a clipboard in her hand.

"Calling you any minute," Blossom finished. "Right here!"

The two teens stood and followed the ceil blue uniformed nurse into the backroom. "Is this your first appointment?"

"Yes," Buttercup said.

The nurse stared at her from the corner of her eye, contemplating whether to say something or no. "If you don't mind my asking, you wouldn't happen to be "Buttercup like _Powerpuff Girls_, Buttercup, right?"

Blossom and Buttercup exchanged brief glances, before shaking their heads in denial. "No, but I get that a lot."

The nurse, whose name tag identified her as "Kelly", sighed and shrugged halfheartedly. "I was so sure," she murmured, leading them into the small room. "The doctor will be with you in one moment."

"Why did you lie?" Blossom snapped as the door shut behind the nurse. "What are the odds that there are two identical looking women named Buttercup Utonium? She'll figure it out eventually."

"Did you see how she believed it? I highly doubt she'll figure it out."

With a disgruntled sigh, Blossom settled herself into the seat in the corner, staring down at her phone to text Brick. Buttercup was less than relaxed, struggling not to shift with irritation. "God, my breasts are fuckin' killing me. My bra is like a torture chamber to them. And if that girl in the reception's office doesn't throw out that chicken sandwich from her lunch, I am going to bite her head off. Then throw up on her. I could do a lot of that right now."

"Language, Buttercup."

"It's true though! God, this sucks. Am I never going to be able to eat chicken again? I live on that shit!"

"That's the price you pay for having sex. You only have to wait nine months," she said with a rather cynical smirk.

A simple flip of the middle finger was all of a response that Buttercup would respond with. Like a prayer from the heavens, the doctor strolled in, clipboard in hand, and a smile that irritated Buttercup to no end. "Ah, Buttercup. Good morning. Blossom, good morning." She sat on a small rolling stool that was in the corner, writing into the file. "So how are you feeling? Must be exciting. Pregnancy is a beautiful process."

"Beautiful? You think being two sizes too big for your normal jeans, stomach cramps that god would find horrendous, an insane craving for cheese, puking all the time, and sleeping like 90 percent of the day is beautiful? Ha! Lady, you have a very skewed perception of beautiful."

The doctor, who had earlier been identified as Dr. Michelle Hernandez, simply glanced over at Blossom, and received a brief smile of apology. "The hormones are making her a tad irritable lately," she explained.

"Understandable," she said with a nod, her gaze returning to the patient. "Craving, and aversions are more than common. Cheese is nothing in comparison to some I've seen. There are some who have cravings for chalk, or even worse. And the fatigue and morning sickness with pass around the end of the first trimester possibly."

"_Possibly?"_

"It's common to see them end around then, but there are some that go full term with the symptoms. We will find out at the end of your first trimester where you will be with that."

"How long before I get to the end of my first trimester!" Dr. Hernandez didn't even glance up at her as she passed a small clear cup, the intentions obvious. "What the fuck? I have to pee in a cup?"

"Buttercup, there is quite a bit you'll have to do," Blossom replied, her tone sarcastic. "Blood test, STD test, pelvic exam, pap smear, among other things."

Her head whipped to the side, and a scowl formed on her face. "And how do you know so much about pregnancy exams?"

"Unlike you, I do read. I've read medical journals, done essays for health, the basics. You remember that essay you didn't do last month for health class?" A simple nod. "Research on the joys of pregnancy. Maybe you should have been paying attention, instead of texting Butch, and you would know what to expect of this appointment."

A growl grew in her throat, and the doctor's head snapped up. "Is this Butch fellow the father?"

The growl deepened, but Buttercup shook her head. "No."

"Does the father know?"

"_Fuck_ no. And I don't intend to tell him. Not now at least. Never preferably."

The doctor blinked, her head cocking to the side ever so slightly. "I am fairly certain that at some point along the line, your condition is going to be fairly noticeable. Unless . . ."

Blossom tensed, knowing full well what she had been implying. Had Buttercup been considering abortion? Buttercup said nothing, her eyes averted from all. "I'm keeping all my options open," she finally muttered, eyes still locked on the floor.

"Well, it is your decision. But, let me say, should you decide to take that road, then you have until the end of the first trimester to terminate it. After that point, the state makes the possibility illegal to you."

"Fine," she muttered, letting the subject end at that. "So what's first?"

"I will take a few vials of blood, then you can excuse yourself and fill that cup. Blossom, can you reach into that mini fridge in the corner beside you and pull out a water bottle for your sister?" With an eerie silence, Blossom reached over and pulled out the bottle, handing it to her tense sister. During which time, the doctor prepped Buttercup for the blood withdraw. "Do you know when your last menstrual period was? Or when the possible date of conception was?"

"Saturday, October eighth . . . That was the night of conception."

The very mention of that date . . . homecoming night, and Blossom's eyes were huge with understanding. "Oh my god," she muttered unintentionally. "I know who the father is."

Buttercup spared her a brief glare before relaxing her arm for the blood pressure test. "Say a word and I will personally murder you. Having a baby in a jail cell is not the worst thing that could happen to me."

Blossom fell silent, her eyes still huge with utter bafflement as the doctor congratulated Buttercup on a normal heart rate and pulse. "If your sister wouldn't mind stepping out, we'll do a pap scrape, and a pelvic exam, then you can fill that cup."

Despite the nervous glance Buttercup threw in her direction, Blossom retreated cooperatively out of the room silently. Her mind was chaotic, eyes burning as she stared absentmindedly into the distance, never blinking. Butch was the father, she was certain of it. But that hadn't been her date for Homecoming. Could they have left together when her back was turned? Or was it her original date's? The questions swirled around in her head, and a headache was forming. The nervousness started to overwhelm her, and she almost fainted with relief at the sight of her sister's eventual reappearance, raising to great the grumbling girl. "Everything go alright?"

"That freak stuck shit up my crotch. Do I look okay?"

"Right," was all she mumbled.

Buttercup waved the remark off, staring down at the cup she was struggling not to crush into smithereens. "I'm gonna piss in this stupid ass cup, and then she said we'll be just about done. She wants to talk to you."

"Wonderful . . ." Blossom muttered as Buttercup disappeared into the bathroom just off the hallway, and she made her way back to the room BC had once been in. The doctor had still been filling out paperwork and smiled up at her as Blossom entered. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes," she said, waving a hand encouragingly to the seat Blossom had previously been in.

"She is pregnant, isn't she?"

"I'll have to wait for the blood results to be certain, but based on her temper-"

"The temper is hardly something new for Buttercup."

Contemplating that a moment, she gave almost an uninterested shrug before continuing. "Then I say waiting for the blood results would be best. But I am more than comfortable saying she is pregnant. I even just finished writing out a prescription for a prenatal vitamin for her."

Blossom glanced over the small prescription sheet as it was passed to her, committing the name to memory. "And this is all she needs for now?"

"For now . . . if she is considering keeping the child, I have a packet of everything she will need. Pamphlets on every detail of her pregnancy."

"Talking about me?" Buttercup said, startling the two women almost whispering now.

"Buttercup," Blossom greeted halfheartedly. "Doctor Hernandez raised a good question."

"And what would that be?" she inquired, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she threw herself back onto the examination bench. "Am I keeping the baby?" Blossom silence was more than a sufficient response for this Puff. "Do you honestly expect me to play Teen Mom at the age of eighteen?"

"It was just a question," she replied, her voice eerily monotone as she spoke.

The silence drug on, Dr. Hernandez shifting awkwardly as the tension grew between the two Puffs. "But . . ." Buttercup said, her tone almost bored. "It couldn't hurt to get that packet right? I could use it for my health class."

Putting aside the fact Buttercup did not have a health class this semester, Blossom smiled encouragingly at the doctor, nodding to her to move forward. "Right," she said as she reached into the cabinet, pulling out a blue folder. "Well, this is a collection of everything you'll need. There are brochures here on everything. From what foods to eat, what foods to avoid, problems you could face, typical symptoms and some of the more abnormal ones, and just a booklet on every stage of your first trimester. I will give you a packet similar to this of your second trimester should you decide to . . ." Her sentence hung in the air, and she couldn't help feel awkward.

"Right, thanks . . ." Her fingers wrapped around the folder, but the hesitance in her reach was not easily concealed. "So . . . are we done here?"

"Yes; Blossom has a prescription for some prenatal vitamins if you so choose to continue with the pregnancy." All stood and the Doctor smiled, hand stretched out to shake. "I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in a month."

"Thanks, Doc. See 'ya around." With a forceful yank, Blossom was pulled out of the room and out the front door. "Can we go get some lunch? I'm starved."

"Of course," was all she said as they settled themselves in the car. As they pulled out of the parking lot and were driving silently down the hall, Blossom couldn't help see from the corner of her eye the way Buttercup discretely skimmed each page of the stuffed packet. "Do you . . . want me to drop this prescription off on my way home from work?"

Her eyes were distant, and moments seem to pass before Buttercup actually responded. "Hmm?" she asked, her eyes instantly darting to Blossom. "No, no. It's fine. Don't worry about it."

The frown formed before Blossom could control it, but luckily the distracted Buttercup was oblivious to it. "Okay." _That poor child . . . has no idea what's coming._


	3. Month 2

"_Let's see….so certain animals will actually kill their babies if they've over produced, only the weaker of the offspring." _

The green Puff stared at her Biology II textbook with an utter look of disgust, trying to picture Mitch's cat doing that if she had produced too many kittens.

"_Those poor babies! Who said their mother knows whether there were strong enough or good enough to live or not! You should have kept your tails down and legs closed, nasty bitch!"_

In the midst of her mental rant, a sort of revelation came to her that she was not eager to receive. Instinctively, her fingers went to her still un-bumped stomach, and she couldn't help realize the hypocrisy of her mental outburst.

"_How can I say that when even I have yet to decide the very same thing . . ._" Her mental anguish dragged on, and she couldn't help instantly glancing over at the medical folder from her last doctor's appointment, still sitting squarely on her desk. _"I wonder . . ."_

Upon standing up, another rush of nausea quickly arose, and she was half tempted to sit back down. The morning sickness was getting worse, as was the soreness in certain joints, the _endless_ need to use the restroom, and many other symptoms she was growing to absolutely hate.

But, nonetheless, for forced herself forward, sitting in the computer chair and flicking on the small desk lamp. The brilliance blinded her a moment, only adding to the headache that returned so frequently. She had never gotten them before, and was beginning to wonder if they were some sort of additional symptom she had not been aware of.

With one swift movement, she set the folder in front of her and opened it with ease. There had to be at least a dozen two or three paged packets, and even more little brochures. One by one she took the piles from their pockets, and spread each sheet out before her to get a better look.

"_Odd but Common Symptoms of Pregnancy . . . where were you when I first found this shit out._" She mentally smacked herself, remembering she had been avoiding glancing at this folder since its presentation to her, as an attempt to deny that this was still happening at all.

The green Puff stared down at the paper, flipping to the next page to see what else could be happening to her that she hadn't even registered as symptoms.

"_Hmm . . ._ _1. Vaginal discharge What the fuck?"_ The mental image brought a disgusted look to her face, and she quickly moved on. "_2. Gas and bloating, 3. Bleeding gums, 4. Constipation; like I didn't know that shit already . . ."_

The little mental remark brought a brief smile to her face as she registered the play on words with that last symptom, but moved on.

" _5. Excessive salivation. 6. Hemorrhoids; again, what the fuck? 7. Itchy skin, 8. Nosebleeds, 9. Swollen extremities (edema), what the flying fuck? 10. Yeast infections; holy shit!" _

She couldn't read further, she tossed the two page packet aside and moved to another one. The next within her reach was one of the different weeks of her first trimester, a walkthrough of each and every week. "_Wait, what week am I?"_

The curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had to see. With one shove from the desk, Buttercup rolled back to her bed and grabbed the small black calendar she kept for homework and rolled back to her original place. With lightning speed, she flipped through the pages, finding the date she had marked to be her doctor's appointment.

She repeated the date numerous times in her head, trying to recall the number of weeks she had been at the time. _"Three weeks ago . . . so seven weeks." _

Was she already that far into the pregnancy? It had felt as though no time had passed at all. The Puff flipped ahead, finding today's date and marking it to be seven weeks before she tossed it back onto the bed mindlessly.

The thick packet sat before her, almost taunting her. "Do I read it?" she asked herself aloud, thoughtlessly nibbling at her thumb nail with edginess.

The minutes seem to pass slowly, dragging on as she stared at the cover page with a wary but still contemplative gaze. It couldn't hurt to skim it she had finally decided, and flipped to the table of contents. _Seven weeks _sat dead center the first page, and she reluctantly flipped to the designated page, pausing on occasion at some points in the previous weeks that briefly caught her eye.

"Let's see . . ." Her brilliant green eyes skimmed the page briefly before focusing on the first paragraph and reading in full.

_Congratulations! You're 7 weeks pregnant!_

Buttercup couldn't help cracking a small smile at the first few paragraphs, an image in of a rather adorable little girl in her head forming far too easily. Without much hesitation, she continued reading, secretly congratulating the baby as well for growing so quickly and well, despite its mother's seeming disinterest in it.

_Big news, Momma-to-be! You're baby's hands and feet are starting form from the arms and legs this week! Although they may seem more like little paddles rather than those fingers you are probably eager to have wrapped around you're your own, but do not fret. It won't be long before they're more distinct._

_As well, that little tail you're "embryo" still has will start to finish. While your baby is still considered an embryo, as it becomes more noticeably a child, that will fade._

"Holy shit, my kid has a tail?" Her green eyes darted to the picture in the corner, taking in the shape her baby would be at this point. _"She looks like a tadpole."_

_At this point, your baby has doubled in size since last week, now measuring in at about one inch. In other words, it is the size of a blueberry._

"_Damn, now I'm hungry again."_

_If you could see inside your womb, you'd see your baby with eye lids folding over what would be their eyes, as well as the veins under their parchment-thin skin But don't fret, it's not only the outside that's forming, it's her inside. Right now, both side of her brain are forming quite nicely, and she is already churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and does the job for her. She also has a pancreas and appendix. Her umbilical cord is also starting to form, which will bring oxygen to her ever-growing tiny body. _

_Now for you, Momma. Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating probably seems more like a chore, especially thanks to the morning sickness._

"That's for fucking sure," she muttered, eyeing the small wastebasket beside her desk (should her morning sickness get too much to bear again) as well as remembering the times she'd snapped at Blossom this morning alone.

_You may need to pee more than usual, too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well._

_About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. For most of the rest, it'll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It's unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy._

"Wonderful," she muttered, resting her chin in her palm. "Might as well set up camp in the bathroom now."

She read on . . .

_Mood swings are so common now — it's perfectly normal to feel alternately elated and terrified about becoming a parent. Try to cut yourself some slack. Most women find that moodiness flares up at around six to ten weeks, eases up in the second trimester, and then reappears as pregnancy winds to a close._

She was silent, contemplating what to think about that. The mood swings would return?!

Little was left on the page, save for a small paragraph tip about this week of her pregnancy. She zoned in on the rather blatant exclamation point that signified the tip and read it carefully. 

_**Is your job strenuous or potentially dangerous?**_

_For your baby's sake and your own, you'll probably want to come clean early on. Making your announcement right away will allow you to talk about changing your job responsibilities in a timely manner_.

Buttercup had to think a moment. Were her job responsibilities in Mitch's family sports store all that strenuous or dangerous for the baby? No, she didn't think so. Especially with her Powerpuff Girl powers . . . But wait, _Powerpuff Girl_ . . .

"Shit . . ." she thought to herself. "Don't get more hazardous than the job of a Powerpuff Girl."

A soft knock at the door startled the contemplative woman, and she jumped at the sight of Blossom stepping into the room. "Buttercup, dinner is ready."

"There's no chicken, is there? I'm already nauseous as it is."

"Nope, Bubbles made tofu tonight. You handled that pretty well a few days ago. I am sure you'll be fine." Just as the leader turned to leave, she paused and glanced at her now following sister. "The boys are here. We invited them for dinner."

"Okay?" she muttered with perplexity, finding it hard to determine the relevancy of her statement.

"It's been a few weeks since you found out about . . . your condition. Have you decided to tell your lover boy about it? About telling anyone about it?"

A dark expression formed on her face, and Buttercup scowled rather menacingly. "Why is it anyone's concern?"

The sharp tone hardly fazed the leader before her; if anything, it brought about a snippiness of her own, and she shut the door to isolate her and her sister. "Buttercup, tomorrow you're starting the eight week of this. That's the end of your second month. Either you have intentions to abort this baby in the next few weeks, or you are keeping this baby. If that is the case, then soon you are going to be showing and it will not exactly be a secret. You're going to have to tell the father, Butch, the Professor, Bubbles,everyone. It won't be hidden for much longer."

A growl deep in her throat was all that Buttercup replied before shoving past her deeply sighing sister and jogging down the staircase outside her room. Butch welcomed her with a bear hug instantly, lifting her off the ground and twirling her delicately.

"Butterbabe, I was wondering when I'd see you."

The playfulness of his tone and excitement from simply seeing her brought a smile to her lips that she couldn't fight.

"_He is such a child at heart . . . he has no idea he's a father."_ A contemplative frown formed on her face as she was set to her feet, and her thoughts quickly took off. _"I wonder what he would say if I told him . . ."_

"Dinner's ready!" Bubbles called , her tone exceptionally chipper, despite the lack of boyfriend at her side like always. As if the thought was her own, she sighed and muttered, "Boomie would have harmonized that with me if he weren't doing a dang concert in San Diego. I miss my Boomie."

Butch rolled his eyes at the sullen Puff before returning his gaze to his own girl. "You hungry?"

"Starved," was all she muttered as her counterpart gently ushered her to the table, followed by a curious Brick as he glanced over to his own mindless counterpart.

The dinner drug on slowly and rather uneventfully, save for the drink Buttercup had spilled on Blossom half way through. The whole time, her mind had been far off, struggling to not let Blossom's words replay endlessly in the back of her mind. She only had few weeks left to decide, did she want to go through with ending the kid's life? Could she handle seven more months of hell filled pregnancy symptoms, especially if it was just to throw the kid at an adoption agency?

And what if she were to continue on with this pregnancy? Could she bear seeing her father's face when she told him? What would everyone say as she got bigger, bitchier . . . What about her senior year? She had six months left, what if she gave birth early and missed her own graduation? What would Butch think, and do? He wasn't father material; he didn't do diapers, and prenatal visits. He wouldn't want to play house, even if it was just until the end of the seven months. He wasn't _that_ dedicated to her . . . right?

Aside from the concern of others, more important issues arose in her mind. She was a Powerpuff Girl after all; could the two handle that without her for _seven months?!_ No, probably not. Sure, they had the boys to help, but what if something happened? She couldn't protect her family.

"Baby," Butch muttered softly from beside her as the rested on the couch after supper. "Are you okay?"

Ignoring the unofficial title of a girlfriend, which she was not to him, she couldn't help smiling at his concern and nodding.

His attention returned to the football game on the television set, and his profile sparked a rather intriguing image in her head. She pictured a little girl, with Butch's silky raven hair and brilliant eyes. As her mind drifted, the image grew stronger, and she couldn't help smiling to herself as she pictured the little girl . . . her little girl, with a button nose to boot.

"_Maybe one more doctor's visit wouldn't hurt,"_ she thought to herself, quickly rising from her seat. "I'll be right back."

"Kay, babe," was all he said, letting his arm fall from behind her as she got up, his eyes never leaving the television. "Yes! Touchdown!"

With a giggle and an eye roll, Buttercup made her way to the kitchen, freezing at the sight of Brick backing a blushing Blossom into the counter. "You really aren't ready? Blossom, it's been three months since we . . . you know; why won't you just admit you like me and let us be together already."

"_Since you what?_!" the green Puff screamed mentally, quite intrigued as she listened in.

"Brick, that was a mistake. We were drunk."_ Blossom knows how to get drunk?_ "Why do you have to complicate things?"

His fingers brushed delicately against her creamy white cheeks, returning the blush she was desperately trying to hide. "How many times am I going to have to say I like you, a lot, before it finally registers?" He leaned in, not to kiss, but to nuzzle her neck affectionately and bring a small sigh of content from her lips. "I could say the other word, but I know you'll just get scared."

"I am not scared," she lied unsuccessfully.

"_Brick!"_ Butch's booming voice called from the living room. "The game is on! Get your ass over here and watch it with your brother!"

"Shit," the redhead muttered to himself, turning his gaze back to the woman still pressed between him and the countertop. "We will finish this conversation later."

"There's nothing to finish, Brick," she murmured softly, her hands pressed against his chest tenderly.

To Buttercup's surprise, no remark was said from him before she watched as he kissed his counterpart's temple and sauntered out of the kitchen. Buttercup was careful to not be seen from behind the giant plant she used to conceal herself, watching as he disappeared around the corner.

Blossom sighed with a breath of both relief and disappointment, turning to continuing with her previous actions. Almost nervously, Buttercup stepped into the kitchen, watching her sister turn and nearly drop the freshly wrapped cake leftovers at the sudden sight of her.

"Gosh, Buttercup, you scared me. I didn't hear you come in."

"_Because you were sucking face with your wannabee boyfriend."_ The green Puff shrugged the remark off and came to sit in the stool beside the island. "I need a favor."

"Of course," Blossom replied simply. Upon shutting the refrigerator door, the Puff leader leaned onto the counter across from the raven haired teen, resting casually onto her forearms. "What is it?"

"I want you to come to the doctor with me. I am going to make an appointment for some time this week."

The glow of excitement was far too evident on Blossom's face, and she couldn't easily conceal.

"Really? I'd love to! Does this mean . . . ?"

"No, absolutely not." Buttercup's sentence hung, a clear indicator of a "but" coming up. "But . . . I want to have one more doctor's appointment before I decide."

"Fair enough," her leader said understandingly, shrugging the subject off with an all too apparent victory smile on her lips.

Buttercup couldn't help cracking a smirk of her own, or rather, a hopeful smile. Of course she hadn't been certain if a second doctor's appointment would change anything. Frankly, she was certain that it wouldn't. But something about the coming appointment excited her, and a little flip went off in her stomach.

"_Looks like I'm not the only one looking forward to this next meeting."_


	4. Month 3

Buttercup sat mindlessly at her vanity, brushing out her rather short locks of silky raven hair. At least, it may have seemed like a blank stare being given from this Puff; in actuality, she was deep in thought . . . thoughts of tomorrow.

"_My second prenatal visit is tomorrow. Am I really sure I want to go through that awkward meeting again?"_

A soft knock at the door started the Green Puff, and she jumped at the sudden sound of her leader stepping into the room.

"The Professor is already asleep, and I am heading to bed myself; and Bubbles is at Robin's for the night. So she is getting a ride to school. We are free to go to the doctor's tomorrow without having to explain ditching to Bubbles."

"Good," the woman replied with a relieved sigh, returning her attention back to the soft strands as the hung faintly over her shoulder.

"You should rest, the baby could use all the energy it can get. So you'll want to be at your best."

"Yeah, yeah . . . I know. I've got it." She hated to be so rude to her sister, leader of all people, but at this point privacy was all Buttercup wanted.

A soft, almost reluctant sigh was released from Blossom lips before she murmured a soft goodnight and let the door click behind her exit. Now alone, and no one to bother her, she focused on her reflection, struggling to see something that she hoped would be passed on to her child . . . if she keeps it that is.

_I haven't looked at my packets for week eight. But I'm about to start week nine. Should I even look at that now? _

Contemplation extended minutes, slowly reaching the double digits before she grabbed the fire not far off and flipped to week nine. "Might as well get informed before my appointment in the morning."

_Congratulations! You're 9 Weeks Pregnant!_

_Your new resident is nearly an inch and a quarter long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. _

_Other changes recently: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct._ _The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain._

A slight wave of disappointment set in. "Shit," she thought to herself. "I was kinda curious as to if it was a boy or a girl. I won't find out until after it's too late to decide my final decision."

Ignoring the ever-growing disappointment, she continued on reading.

_You still may not look pregnant even if your waist is thickening a bit. You probably feel pregnant, though._ _Not only are morning sickness and other physical symptoms out in full force for most women, but you may feel like an emotional pinball as well._

"Oh you have no idea how much of an understatement that is," she muttered aloud, reaching for a saltine from the nearly empty carton beside her.

As she read further down there was a paragraph that explained ways to ease her nausea, which she studied with great focus. To her relief, another page follow was dedicated entirely to the cause, and she found relief in simply the thought, let alone the tips within the page to help.

Eleven slowly started to come to a close, and midnight was minutes away. Knowing the important of tomorrow's meeting, she forced herself to shut the pamphlet and collect herself in bed. With her saltines and water on her nightstand, and a small garbage can just below it, the Puff shut her eyes and begged for sleep . . . finding sweet relief when she drifted off.`

xxx

Friday morning was a greatly welcomed sight, and as she struggled to wake up, nibbling on saltines during the process, Buttercup couldn't help wonder of what was to come. Would they have her blood tests, even though their results were already expected a yes. Would she get any new information that she hadn't learned in the packets from the course of this past week?

Her biggest question though . . . would she learn or experience anything in this meeting that would sway her still uncertain decision? What did she want anyway?

_Thank god Blossom is coming with me . . . I don't know how much more of this emotional shit I can take. _

Slipping on a Green Day tee Butch had gotten her at their concert just before Homecoming, and a pair of grey denim jeans, she strode downstairs to the near empty house and frowned at her grinning sister.

_Does she have to be so fuckin' eager this early in the morning?_

"Good morning, Buttercup? Feeling any better this morning?"

"No, especially considering I'm starving enough to eat that horse of a dog next door. Did you happen to make anything this morning?"

_Holy shit . . . did I just ask for _Blossom's_ cooking of all things? I must be crazy, completely and utterly crazy._

The question startled her leader especially, watching her with wide eye shock. "Um, no . . . You've never liked my cooking. Would . . . would you like me to make you something?"

_Can I risk killing this kid with her toxic food? Or is it safer just to cook it myself? God, I'm so tired, I just wanna sit down and rest._ "Could you make me some of your eggs? I've always been fine with those."

A small smile danced on Blossom's lips, realizing the compliment in her sister's words. "Absolutely; you sit and relax, I'll prepare that for you now. There is some steak left from dinner as well, I'll warm that up for you."

"Thanks," she muttered, resting her head on her forearms as she sat. "God, my head is killing me, but at least the morning sickness is better this morning. Those tips really helped."

"What tips?"

"I read through that packet of stuff the doc gave me on our last meeting. One of brochures was all on morning sickness, and tips to help ease the symptoms." Buttercup sat up, hand instinctively going to her stomach as she rested. "I followed a few of them and now it's almost bearable."

"That's good," the redhead mused with a soft voice, cracking the egg and letting it drip into the searing pan. "What else did you learn from that?"

Buttercup contemplated the question a moment, struggling to recollect the information that had been in her papers the night before. "When I hit nine week tomorrow, it says she'll be just about the size of a grape. She's also developing . . . fast."

Blossom's head snapped up, fingers curling tighter around the knife as she cut the steak into cubes. "Did you say she?" she questioned as she faced her oblivious sister. "You do suppose it's a girl?"

The green Puff hadn't even registered she had been in fact saying "she" the entire time. "I . . . I guess it could be. I mean, I haven't thought about it too much. It's just the pamphlets and all that kept saying she so the habit sort of stuck."

Understanding settled onto her leader's face, and she returned to her chopping. "What are you anticipating the baby to be?"

Minutes seem to pass as Buttercup continued to deliberate the curious question. To be honest, Buttercup couldn't be certain, but the images in her head were as close to an answer as she could guess.

"I-I guess a girl . . . I keep seeing a little girl in my head."

The gleaming white plate with surprisingly wonderful smelling food was set before her, Blossom sitting in the seat just to BC's right as the pregnant woman began to feast. "Is she cute?"

_Absolutely adorable . . ._ "Cute enough, I guess," she lied. _She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen._

"Well, I suppose I'm going to shower and get ready for the appointment. After you eat, I suggest you do the same and quickly, or else we'll be late."

"Alright," she replied simply, mouth half full with steak as she let herself delve deeper into the abyss of unanswered questions and thoughts.

With the eagerness now at an end, anticipation and edginess starting to set in, Buttercup couldn't help but wallow in the depression starting to engulf her. Suddenly, she was dreading the appointment.

_Today is gonna suck . . ._

xxx

"Buttercup," Dr. Hernandez greeted with a brilliant glow about her. "I see you've returned. This is fantastic, I'm happy to have you."

"Thanks," she muttered, ignoring the small glare from Blossom beside her. "So what do we do first?"

"Let's have you step on the scale so we can begin your weight increase chart. Then you can have a seat up here and I'll take your blood pressure to start."

With great reluctance, due mostly to nervousness, Buttercup removed her bulky black flip-flops and stepped onto the ice cold medical scale. The doctor played with the little tab across the top, tapping them further and further to the left before she finally asked her to step down.

"Wonderful, you are at a BMI of 18.7, weighting exactly 113 pounds. Perfectly normal. Now, as for your expected weight gain, when adding that information, your previous weight of a hundred and nine pounds, as well height of five foot four, I expect that you should gain . . . hmm . . . about twenty five to thirty five pounds by the end. That will be perfectly healthy weight balance. Though it's not unexpected to see more with the increased appetite. Just be careful how much you eat."

"Enough for two, right?"

"No, actually," she explained. "That is a myth, so to speak. The truth is, eating so much that it's enough for two is overdosing, to some extent. The child does not take a full person's meal, supplement from part of your intake is more than suffice, and eating more would simply cause you to gain _too much_ weight. Truth be told, gaining too much can cause early labor."

The clarification was quite the revelation to both Puffs, and as they took in the new info, Dr. Hernandez pulled up her rolling stool and began to make notes on Buttercup's chart.

"So, only eat a little more than enough for one? Like a hearty meal for one?"

"Exactly, that should be more than suffice for you, the baby, and any other hunger bursts that arise from the pregnancy." She flipped the page, grabbing her pen. "So I have a few questions, stuff to help me infer how the pregnancy will go, as well as to allow me to give the proper advice about it all."

"Very well," BC agreed, shifting more in the direction of her doctor to begin. "Shoot."

"Well, to start out simple . . . do you smoke, drink alcohol, or caffeine?"

"I've never smoked, only drink at parties, and I'm disgusted by the taste of coffee. Sodas I don't drink much of either, so no real caffeine there."

"Wonderful," she commended, writing the note down. "Be sure to shun all drinking, at least for the duration of your pregnancy . . . should you decide to keep the baby, then after you've stopped breast feeding." The doctor shifted uncomfortably at the thoughtful frown on her patient's face before she continued. "Aside from being a Powerpuff Girl, do you live or work in an environment that could be potentially dangerous to you while pregnant or the baby?"

Considering this a moment, deliberating the label for her job she finally said, "I work in my ex's family sports store, if that is constituted as hazardous in anyway . . ."

"Do you move inventory around or lift or move anything around in any way?"

"I'm a cashier, I never leave behind the counter."

"Perfect, then you should be fine until you're ready to go on maternity leave. I recommend not standing for excessively long period, at least when you get closer to the end, because you will feel great discomfort doing so. Now, can you or Blossom fill out this paperwork?"

"What is it?" Blossom inquired, taking the semi thick packet of papers as they were handed to her.

"The basic papers: Medical history from both of your parents, Buttercup's own medical history, insurance information, delivery expectations . . . that sort of stuff. I'll let you two fill that information out while I go and fetch a few things necessary for your sister's exam."

As the door shut behind her, Buttercup focused on her already busy at work sister, watching the pen glide across the paper like a simple breeze. Silence extended minutes, the only sound breathing, pages flipping, and the unending tapping of Buttercup's fingernails on the steel edge of her bed.

"This is nerve racking," she commented eventually.

"So I've noticed," Blossom muttered with a small smirk. "I'm almost done with this paperwork, and Dr. Hernandez should be in any minute."

"Do . . . Do you think she'll do an ultrasound?"

Her head slowly rose, staring up at the momma Puff looking contemplatively (and almost shyly) at the dull tile floor. "Did you want to see the baby?"

Buttercup shifted awkwardly, a look of utter vulnerability on her face. "I think it would help me accept the reality of this more if I saw the thing."

A soft, though longing to be eager, smile danced on the leader's face before she nodded in understanding. "Very well, I'll see if we'll be doing one this visit."

"Thanks," was all she muttered as the doctor returned, pulling a large machine in behind her. "What's that for?"

"To hear your baby's heart beat."

"Can . . . can that thing show me the baby too?"

She smiled at the curious woman with a look that was nearly identical to Blossom's not even a moment prior. "Absolutely, I intended to show you both. Now lie down, and I apologize, this gel is a little cold."

Taking the small paddle into her hand, the doctor squeezed the bottle of blue gel across its flat surface before focusing on the patient. Rolling her shirt up to just below her bust line, Buttercup winced unintentionally as the chilly surface pressed to her stomach.

"We should be able to see the baby right . . . about . . . ah, there it is." She held her hand firm on where the paddle was, turning the screen to show both Puffs now gathered closely together to watch. With one finger, she pointed at the small white circle just to the top right in the bigger dark oval shape in the center of all that white and black static looking shadows. "This is your baby."

A sudden wave of overwhelming feelings came crashing down in the heart of this Puff. Overflowing with so many emotions, anger at the father for getting her pregnant, shock to see the reality of it, delight to see it for the first time, pain for the idea of having to deal with the symptoms for certain now, and so many other feelings she didn't know where to begin.

"T-That's my b-b-baby?" she stuttered, breath catching in her throat as the doctor pulled her screen closer.

"It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?"

She said nothing, staring intently at the screen as the scene froze and the official picture was taken of the shot. "Wow . . ." she finally murmured, touching the screen as if it would solidify the already real reality of it all.

"As for the heart beat . . ." Dr. Hernandez added, flipping switch on the machine before all heard a swirling _bum-bum, bum-bum_ coming out of the speakers beside the monitor. "There we go. Strong and healthy. So far, it appears everything is going perfectly, which is an exceptional thing."

Blossom was all grins as she stared down at her sister, watching the way the momma-to-be laid her head back and listened to the sound, eyes shut to make it all the more intense.

"Buttercup?" she called softly, brushing her sister's dark hair back tenderly. "Are you all right?"

"This is just so heavy, it's hard to process."

"But it's exciting, isn't it?" the doctor inquired. "Makes you feel special, to know you're holding something so exquisite inside; like you were given the task of preserving something so delicate and precious."

To be honest, there wasn't a more true statement in the world than the one right there. The revelation brought a new glow to Buttercup's skin, eyes sparkling now as she pulled her shirt back down. "I won't be able to find out the sex for a while, right?"

"Sadly, you're correct. However, in about eight or nine more weeks we should be able to identify."

"There's nothing risking it, is there? Nothing in my blood tests or exam last time that made you think there would be problems?"

She stared down at her records, giving them the quick onceover. "Actually, your blood tests were perfectly clear. I was quite impressed." She looked over the records Blossom had filled out. "And as far as your history and family history shows, there is no risk of anything that looks potentially harmful. Then again, your history has no connection to your father's, considering your 'creation' background. So assuming it's based off your own history, I would assume this child is going to be damn near perfect. But there are always things that could arise from the father, so if you want a more definitive answer, I'd have to view his records as well. Is there a time he could come i-"

"No!" BC cut off quickly, eyes huge with worry. "He's not- I mean he won't- I . . . He doesn't know yet. And I don't know if I'm going to tell him."

A frown formed on her face, but she said no more. "Well, we'll just have to assume he's in good health, at least for the most part."

"Trust me, he's like me. Except he's a drinker and smokes pot. Other than that, I'm pretty sure he's clean of STDs and stuff, or else he would have given it to me, right?"

"Correct, so this is a good thing. I am confident in saying this baby is going to have a seamless pregnancy and birth."

A smile was all Buttercup could respond as the doctor had their photos printed.

"I also see you're up to date on all vaccinations and are taking no other medications. This is very good. Let's do a few physical exams to be certain your developing as well as your baby is, and I believe you will be done."

As she sat up, watching the doctor check for any abnormalities about her, as well as her breasts for reasons she didn't know, Buttercup nearly signed with relief as she was told she was finished and just in need of a few papers.

"I've given you that packet of papers for the basics, but this one now contains anything and everything relating to your first trimester." She passed it along to the quickly shuffling through Puffs. "Foods to avoid, a grocery list of recommended foods for you to have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, as well as a few quick regimens I recommend you use. Exercise is highly recommended, but many of the exercises you did before I would avoid. That list is included in this, things to avoid doing, as well as ones that will help make the pregnancy go smoother. Also, in here is a packet of symptoms you should be on the lookout for or at least not ignore over the course of your pregnancy."

"Like what?"

"Your baby is moving or kicking less than usual, but not until he is actually moving more. That will not be until later in the pregnancy. Severe or persistent abdominal pain or tenderness; vaginal bleeding or spotting. Sometimes spotting is normal, especially around the beginning, but as the pregnancy moves on, that will possibly be an indicator of a problem. There are quite a few things, nothing I am sure you'll need to worry about, but it would be a great advantage to you and your sister to read through it carefully and be aware of what could be expected."

"We will, most definitely."

"Good, Buttercup. Now, there is also a, what I call, the ultimate pregnancy check list. It has basically anything and everything involving the first trimester you will need to consider and possibly do over the next few weeks. Twelve weeks is the course of the first trimester, so you are quite a ways into it, but that doesn't make this list unnecessary in the least. Would you like to take a moment to look through it to see if you have any questions?"

"No, we can look through it later."

"Very well, but if you should find something in there that raises questions or concerns, my business card and any contact information I possess is in there. You could write the question down and bring it up at our meeting next month, should there be one, or simply call me if you feel necessary. My line is always open to patients."

"Thanks, Doc. So . . . am I done?"

She nodded. "I would say that is a safe assumption. I'll be back with your first baby photos and then you can be on your way. I hope to see you very soon, Buttercup."

The green eyed woman smiled, suddenly feeling the pressure as her doctor disappeared out the door. There was no denying it now, she was carrying a living and breathing child, and now she had the very real struggle of deciding how to handle the situation.

Not even a minute passed before an older, gentle looking woman stepped into the office wearing nurses clothes and handed the a small manila envelope. "You're photos Miss Utonium. Congratulations on your baby."

"Thanks."

As they followed her out, fingers resisting the urge to tighten as she clung to her photos, they departed from the hospital and set off.

"So," Blossom began, breaking through the tense but powerfully amazing silence between then. "How was it, seeing your baby up there?"

Minutes seem to pass, Buttercup's eyes never leaving the photos in her hands as she examined each one. "Overwhelming . . ."

"Has this visit made you feel any more serious about your choice in options?"

_Yes . . . _"Maybe."

Blossom's silence extended, as if hoping for more of an elaboration. Unfortunately, none came. "Right . . . So how about lunch? I'll take you to that taco place you love so much."

"Sounds good," she muttered, hiding the photos away, if only to avoid getting tear drops on them as she let a few escape. As to whether they were tears of joy or sadness . . . well, even she wasn't too sure yet.

xxx

"_Mommy! Mommy! Look at me, I'm a Powerpuff girl like you, mommy!" the angelic voice called from her jungle gym, little arms stretched out before her as if to fly._

"_That's cute baby, just be careful. Those monsters get pretty nasty sometimes," Buttercup called back from her typical park bench, sippy cup sitting in her hand and purse beside her._

_A few passing bystanders looked on at the eager child as she bent her knees, as if she were ready to jump. _

"_Ma'am, I think your daughter is really going to jump," one finally commented, stepping closer to the Momma Puff with a look of great concern._

"_She's a smart girl, she wouldn't do that. Adventurous she is, but suicidal she isn't."_

"_Look at me, mommy!" the girl called again, shaking her bum as if she were preparing for a monstrous leap. "I can fly!" she screamed, before startling all as she took the enormous leap off the twelve foot high children's castle. _

_Everyone screamed, Buttercup especially, as they rose to the scene of the child's landing. It was a horrendous sight. Body mangled, limbs in unnatural directions, all of which were different from another, and blood gushing out of her head in a way that should have never even been suited for the sickest of zombie movies. _

"_Baby!" Buttercup screamed, scooping up her not breathing four year old and drowning in the pool of scarlet liquid._

"_You let her jump," one remarked bitterly, staring disgustedly as others ran in tears and fits of gagging. "What the fuck sort of mother are you?"_

"_I-"_

"_You're supposed to be our Powerpuff? Our protector? You let your daughter jump from a twelve foot set to her death, what the hell is wrong with you?" another added._

"_You're a sick excuse for a mother."_

"_You're pathetic!"_

"_That poor child had no idea she was being born to such a horrible family."_

"_I didn't . . . She wasn't . . ." Buttercup fell into a fit of tears, cradling her deformed former daughter tightly to her chest. "My baby . . ."_

_The crowd of ever-growing haters encircled the Puff, some too disgusted to look at the child any longer, while others saw it as an excuse to further scream at the woman. Dozens upon dozens of Townsville Citizens gathered around the Powerpuff, yelling dark and cruel remarks to the unendingly sobbing woman as she clung to her child. _

_Then the dream shattered . . ._

Buttercup shot out of her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she tumbled out of bed, arms stretched out as if her body was suddenly struggling to catch the daughter her dream-self had failed to do.

"Buttercup?" Blossom said from the door, rushing to her sobbing sister's side as she curled into a ball of despair. "BC what happened?"

"So much blood," the girl muttered, voice muffled through her crying. "Why did she jump? Why did she have to be like mommy, of all people?"

The realization hit her, and Blossom let loose a disappointed, or at least pained sigh. Urging her sister back to the bed, she murmured, "Buttercup, that's the six day in a row you've had nightmares about your baby. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," BC finally snapped, voice stronger now as she wiped her eyes. "I don't know . . . I-I think . . . I think it's a sign I shouldn't be a mother. I'm not cut out for it. I can't even protect the kid in my dreams, let alone in real life."

"BC, you can't judge your maternal instincts based on a few bad dreams. It's just concern, it's not some mystical sign saying you should not be a mother."

"Bullshit, you don't see the massacre every night, that kid's face when she dies in sicker and crueler ways each time."

"Buttercup," Blossom reiterated, touching her sister's hand tenderly. "I think you're just scared, it's natural. That doesn't mean you-"

"I know what I want to do," she mused suddenly. "I want to abort."

Blossom's pink eyes were unnaturally wide with shock at her sister's words, and her hands dropped quickly, almost with disgust. "Why?"

"I don't want to deal with the pregnancy, especially if I'm not going to keep it. And even if I did adoption, there is no guarantee that kid won't come looking for me later. I don't want it anywhere near me . . . I don't need those dreams coming true, ever." The last bit was so low, Blossom nearly missed it, despite their proximity and her advanced hearing.

"I- . . . Buttercup, I think you're being rash."

Her head whipped around so fast it nearly startled the Puff enough to jump back. "You said you'd support any decision I made. Is that true or not?" Blossom nodded hesitantly. "Than either you support me in my decision, and come with me when I need you most, or don't be involved at all."

The agony of her torn conscience was plastered on the leader's face, but with great reluctance, she nodded. "Fine, we'll go when you want."

"Today," she finalized, watching her sister stand. "Christmas is in exactly four days from today, so I want to be sure it's done before then."

"So soon? I mean you might-" The look on the determined Buttercup's face silenced her, and she nodded once more. "I'll wake you up at ten to do that then."

"Thanks," she muttered, curling up under her quilt once more. "Goodnight, Blossom."

The called upon woman said nothing in response, silently clicking the door with a posture that screamed hurt and betrayal.

_Today this ends . . . the symptoms, the headaches, the worries . . . and the nightmares . . . It all ends today._

xxx

There was an evident tension in the car as both Puffs silently made their way in Blossom's Sonata to the abortion clinic, feeling the heaviness of the setting growing more and more unbearable with each foot closer the got to their destination.

Buttercup felt her sister sparing her sideways glances the entire time, but that didn't mean she looked back.

"Are you certain this is what you want to do, BC? It's not too late to change your mind."

She couldn't reply, her voice too lost from the horror of that early morning's picture show from hell. The past week's dream selection in general had left her shell shocked and heartbroken.

_This is for your own good kid, you don't wanna be near me. I'll only end up hurting you later on then in this one moment. _Her hand went to her stomach, feeling the swirling around like a bad stomach ache. _I'm sorry, baby._

A dark cloud seemed to overtake them as they stepped inside the clinic, walking silently up to the counter. "Hello, we're here for an appointment. Buttercup Utonium," Blossom said, not watching as her sister went sullenly to the dark blue waiting room chairs and threw herself lazily into one.

"Very good, Miss. Have a seat and they will be with you shortly."

"Thank you," was all she dared respond before taking a seat beside her sister.

Buttercup remained silent, legs pulled up to her stomach and her head hidden in her arms. "You're mad," she muttered, not sparing a peak at her sister. "I told you I wouldn't do an abortion the day I found out I was pregnant . . . but here we are."

"It's not that I'm mad, because I'm not. Disappointed, yes, I can't pretend I'm not very disappointed. Nevertheless, I am not mad, nor do I hate you. And I know that was your next accusation. I can't say I blame you, or don't understand. This is scary, and you're just looking for your life back. But I can't help pity the child."

_How do you think I feel?_

The silence continued on, and they watched as one by one the patients went in. Finally, they were called, and with great discomfort on Blossom's part, she and Buttercup followed the woman back to their room.

"So Miss Utonium," she said, looking at the papers. "You are having your first abortion, correct?"

"Yes," BC muttered, not bothering to look up from the tile floor.

"Very good, well this should go smoothly. Your attending physician shall be in within the next minute or so. Feel free to have a seat, and get comfortable."

Nothing was said as she disappeared out of the room, leaving the Puffs there in awkwardness. The anxiety was building more and more with each second, but the sound of the door sliding open broke the tension like a twig.

"Ah, Miss Utonium, good morning," the young doctor greeted.

_This chick is supposed to do my abortion? She looks like she's only a few years older than me. There is no way in hell she can do surgery on me to get this done._

"You're the physician? You look kinda young."

Her blue eyes met the Puff before her, and she flashed her a brilliant but true as can be smile. "I had to regretfully drop out of school late in my sophomore year. I was just over sixteen at the time. I took the GED test a few weeks later, and started night course at the local college. Seven years later I've managed to earn a degree allowing me to do this."

"What made you quit?"

"My daughter did . . ."

_Shit, she got pregnant at sixteen. But she does pretty well consider, she's a physician . . . in an abortion clinic of all things._

"Kind of ironic," Buttercup said as the doctor looked at her papers. "You got pregnant young and you became a doctor to help people get rid of babies, even though you didn't. Wait, you didn't end up get rid of her did you?"

"You're very right, it does seem a bit ironic , doesn't it? At the time, I was greatly considering doing the same. But when I saw her first photo, that beautiful baby on the ultrasound screen . . . I couldn't even bear the thought of her leaving my side for college in eighteen years, let alone permanently due to abortion. I do this, this career, because I was scared and I thought I had no options. Yes, it's a crueler option, but I want to help people that choose this road, maybe even save a baby or two along the way. It doesn't hurt to hope, right?"

As the blonde stared down at her papers once more, each word slowly started to sink in to the Puff's mind.

_She made it work from sophomore year, barely even sixteen years old, and powerless of all things! I'm a goddamn Powerpuff girl, and look at me now, ready to abort this poor kid because I'm chicken shit. This chick did it! I could do it too!_

Then the revelation hit her . . . and the images of her nightmares vanished almost instantaneously. Suddenly that familiar face, the one with those apple green eyes that shimmered in any light, the ivory skin, and the most adorable button nose . . . the face of her daughter.

_Maybe I can take six more months. I don't know if I can or want to exactly raise the thing, but there is adoption if anything. There are lots of couples looking for kids. I aim to help people, that's what Blossom always says us Powerpuffs do . . . so why not help someone that way._

Her mouth opened, words struggling to come out at first. Though through her surprise at the mental declaration, she finally uttered, "I can't do this."

Both her sister and doctor stared up at her, brows arched in confusion. "What?" they questioned in harmony.

"I can't do this. I can't abort this baby."

A look of absolute relief washed over her leader's face, only spilling onto the woman beside her. "That's wonderful new, Miss Utonium. I'm happy to hear you're so open to this."

"Thank god," was all Blossom murmured, so low Buttercup nearly missed it through the sudden cheers in her head, as if it were her own daughter cheering in thanks deep inside her.

She could practically hear the child's voice saying, _"Damn momma, it took you long enough to change your mind. I've been freaking out the past nine hours!"_

"Let's go home, Blossom . . . I've got some thinking to do."

Without a word, she stepped out of the examination room, her sister giving a quick excited thanks to the doctor as she followed her out.

"That was quick. What made you change your mind?" she inquired finally as she pulled the car out of the lot.

Buttercup said nothing, offering a simple shrug in response as she stared contemplatively out the window.

_Okay, I'm thrilled to be out of there . . . but that knocks one of the easiest options off my list. Shit . . . now I have to decide again what to do? Can I try doing what that lady did, giving up everything and taking it a little at a time until I got somewhere? But that leaves the risk of never reaching anywhere. Then again, I have powers . . . I could do fantastic, ten times better than she did, and have my baby._

_But then again . . . do I want to be a mom? It might be fun, but if that's all it will be for me, I shouldn't be one. There are probably a lotta women that wanna be moms, _really_ wanna be moms. Shouldn't I give them the chance?_

_. . . What to do . . . What to do . . . What to do . . ._

xxx

The three Puffs sat gathered around the large flat screen television, their seat beside their respective counterpart as they watched the Professor making a scientific explanation on one of his live but important science show guest appearances.

"I can't believe the Professor is on TV," Bubbles remarked, curling up into her boyfriend's arms.

"It's mad cool to see the guy doing what he's so boss at."

Buttercup's eyes darted to her counterpart, his arm playfully around her as she sat beside him, legs over his as if she were half on his lap. "What was that? You gangster now or something?"

"You know it, shawty."

"Butch," Brick called in warning, a smirk dancing on his lips as he sat noticeably too close to his "friend". "Be careful. Buttercup looks ready to bite your head off."

"She hates when men call her shawty," Blossom added with a giggle of her own.

"BC knows she's my girl, it's only a joke." His green eyes met hers, though the comment was wasted. All eyes were locked on the sudden roaring just outside the city limits not far from their house. "Is that what I think it is?"

"That it is!" Bubbles cried, following the Reds and her boyfriend quickly out the door.

Buttercup and Butch quickly followed after as well, though not even a few hundred yards from their door all stopped, watching the monster less than a mile away approaching at a frightening speed. Bubbles and Boomer were instantaneously in pursuit, not long after was Butch.

"Buttercup, stay here," Blossom instructed at a near whisper, low enough Brick close by couldn't hear.

"But-"

"No!" she snapped, giving her sister the look of authority that she knew was meant to illustrate her word was final. "Brick, let's go."

"Right behind you . . ." He stared back as he took off, urging Buttercup to follow. "Come on, BC. Get your ass moving."

"I can't," she muttered, watching as her leader was swung like nothing into the stone building close by. "Blossom!" she cried agonizingly.

"Shit, Blossom!" His red streak was left in his place, and Buttercup sat back in anguish as her sisters fought vigorously.

"BC, what is wrong with you?" Bubbles called from the sky. "Help up!"

She couldn't respond, her hand now protectively at her stomach. _This is what I was afraid of . . ._

The troubled Puff met her youngest sister's eyes, feeling a sudden ache of shock as she watched those blue portals suddenly widen with a look of astonishment she had never seen before. Then it clicked.

_Shit . . . she knows._

Years filled in moments seemed to pass as the youngest sister clearly started to put each detail together. "Fine," Bubbles finally said, turning to assist the Ruffs as they now easily subdued the villain.

Now on the ground, BC watched her limping sister being supported by her compassionate counterpart, her arm around his neck as he walked her over.

"What the fuck was that?" Boomer and Brick snapped suddenly, all around her as the fight came to an end.

"I-"

"Brick, stop," Blossom quickly stepped in, much to Buttercup's great relief. "She isn't feeling well. Don't get mad at her."

"Fuck that, she hesitated and now you're hurt-"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It's probably just a sprain. It'll be heeled in a week with our abilities."

"But-"

Her pink eyes darted to him, that familiar look in them. "Brick, trust me, I'm fine. Don't take this out on Buttercup."

The Ruff huffed with great frustration, but simply scooped his counterpart into his arms and carried her back to the house. "Let's go. We need to check out Blossom's ankle."

"Right," his brothers muttered, one ignoring BC as he made his way back to the house, girlfriend in hand.

Buttercup didn't bare sneak a peek at Bubbles as she passed, knowing she'd get an earful of questions soon enough. Staying to the back of the pack, however, was Butch . . . It was both a great discomfort, but also pleasure to the scared Puff.

"What happened, babe? You never hesitate like that."

Feeling a tension building as he stepped closer, hands skimming her bare forearms in a tender caress, she nearly blurted out her real reason. Luckily, much to her relief, she caught herself at the last moment, and found a new lie.

"Just like Blossom said, I'm not feeling too good."

He considered her words a moment, knowing typically she would never lie to him. _Ha! Look at me now._

"Let's get you back, you should lay down." He took her waist in his hold, keeping her exceptionally close to him as they followed the now distant siblings home.

_I couldn't help my family, now Blossom is hurt. I lied to my best friend and the man that I can't live without. This pregnancy is really not doing me any good. But I can't abort it, it doesn't feel right at all. _

Her eyes stayed looking ahead, keeping the composure Buttercup knew she had to up as best she knew how. Every so often, her eyes would lock with the constantly looking back Bubbles, a look being given that illustrated all too well what she was thinking.

_Shit, that's right. Bubbles probably figured it out. . . . I am so dead . . . _

xxx

The front door clicked shut, Bubbles waiting for the sound of those Ruffs departing before turning to speak.

"_What_ the hell was that today?" she snapped, driving a fear into the with-child Puff and her leader that nearly made them cower.

"Now, Bubbles, stand down. What happened today was not Buttercup's fault. I only strained my ankle, it wasn't sprained or broken-"

"It's not even the fact you were hurt that bugs me," the upset looking blonde explained, eyes darting now between her sisters. "It's the fact she is hiding something from me."

The interrogated women exchanged distraught glances before harmonizing, "Hiding what?"

A long, pale finger pointed directly at Buttercup's stomach in response, nothing but a dark glare following. Instinctively, her own hands went protectively to her stomach, and the baby seemed to swirl around excitedly under her touch. Had she not been in the tight spot as she had currently been, this mama-to-be would have been smiling like an idiot at the sweetness of it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she objected, voice tight with the lie she was struggling to get out.

Her blue eyes darted to her so fast, BC couldn't help flinching. "Buttercup," she said slowly. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, or would you rather I just say it?"

Blossom's hand went softly to the anxious woman beside her, and with that feeling of comfort, she help but mutter, "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, they couldn't seem to understand the look on the Puff's face. Her blue eyes were unchanging, face frozen in a look that looked skeptical. Then it finally registered. To say she was shocked would have been the biggest understatement yet. The blonde's eyes seem to roll to the back of her head, that is until she finally collapsed in her leader's quickly extended arms.

"Bubbles!" she cried, watching her eyes flutter slowly open. "Are you okay?"

Buttercup was suddenly at their side, passing her leader a glass of water for the flustered but coming to Puff in her arms. Her words were muffled, though BC was almost entirely certain her sister had muttered, "Tell me I dreamed what I just heard."

"No, sweetie," Blossom murmured as her sister slowly started for her feet. "You didn't."

"I- What-Who-Huuuh?" Bubbles stuttered, hand pressed to her head as if it would help her grasp this anymore.

The pregnant Puff shifted uncomfortably, staying further behind as the leader of their trio ushered the woozy looking youngest to the family room nearby.

"Remember how I disappeared from Homecoming? You guys thought I stayed over at Regina's house for the weekend?" Both nodded, Blossom especially paying attention, considering her lack of an explanation. "I lied. I left with someone, and we got a hotel. Clearly it's obvious what we did."

"Who's the father?"

Her green eyes met the leader, knowing she was all too certain of who it was, but wanted the statement to clarify. "Butch," she admitted, her eyes returning to the interrogator.

Blossom remained composed, but her eyes were screaming _I KNEW IT!_

Bubbles, however, collapsed into the back of the couch, blue eyes wide with utter shock. "Whoa, this is intense. How . . . How far along are you?"

"Eleven weeks now."

"When did you find out?"

This time, even Blossom appeared uncomfortable at the question. "Well, Blossom and I figured it out together. She actually before I did. I was four weeks pregnant at the time."

"YOU KNEW YOU'VE BEEN PREGNANT SINCE FOUR WEEKS AND YOU TELL ME _NOW_?!" The infuriated woman shot to her feet, staring daggers at her sisters, if only to conceal the hurt. "What, did you girls just not trust me or something? So much for loyalty!"

"It's not what you think, Bubs, honestly." Both sisters followed after the departing Puff, urging her to be reasonable as she made her way angrily to the kitchen. "It had taken me awhile to decide if I even believed it. It wasn't until week seven that I realized it was real, and I didn't even know if I was going to keep it. Hell, we drove all the way to the abortion clinic last week before I-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa . . ." Buttercup fell silent at her youngest sister's objection. "You were going to abort it?"

Blossom nodded from behind her, looking as hurt at the thought as Bubbles suddenly did. "It was an option. But I backed out."

"BC, why? You love kids, why would you even consider that?"

"Do I look like I'm ready to play Teen Mom? No. And I know that Butch sure as fuck isn't ready to play Mr. Mom either. We're seniors in high school for fuck's sake. And yes, we make it well with money, but I don't even know if the Professor could support that extra expense. I'm already working late hours as it is, aside from all my school work, and fuck . . . does it look like our lives are suitable for a baby? I'm a goddamn Powerpuff Girl! I couldn't help you tonight, and Blossom was injured. Imagine that for the next eighteen years, while I'm raising a baby, I'll be out of commission. I can't don't it, I don't know if I can alone at least." The hormones had gotten the better of her. Suddenly, her head dropped, tears streaking down her face as she muttered in a cracked voice, "I can't do it alone."

With each tear that escaped her sister's watery eyes, Bubbles was won over more and more. Instantaneously, she engulfed sobbing sister in a tight embrace.

"Aw, BC, I haven't seen you cry since you broke up with Mitch in freshman year."

"It's the hormones," she snapped, her voice softer though through the whimpers.

"And BC, you should know we'd be here to help you. You'd never be alone. We can afford it with four incomes. The Professor makes serious dough, and all three of us have part-time jobs. That baby would never have a problem with money. He'll be the best dressed kid in school."

_He?_ She sniffled, pulling back a bit to look at her bright eyed sister. "I don't know if I want to keep it, but at least either way _she's_ alive."

Bubbles quickly picked up on the not-so-subtle hint. "You know the sex?"

"Well . . . no. But I see a girl in my head."

The curiosity was all too apparent on the Puffs face, and to both Blossom and Buttercup's great surprise, her blonde pigtails bobbed as she bent forward, ear going to Buttercup's ever-growing stomach.

"Are you a boy or a girl, baby? Auntie Bubbles wants to know." She gasped, standing straight once more. "I'm going to be an auntie!"

Both couldn't resist laughing as they looked on at the now giddily dancing woman before them, watching her twirl excitedly around the kitchen, singing her last statement repeatedly in eagerness.

"I guess this means she's okay with us hiding it from her?"

"Oh, don't even think you got off that easy, big sisters," she interrupted, cutting off her leader as she continued to dance. "I am still quite angry. And as punishment, I get to be the godmother."

"But I-"

"I get to be the godmother. End of story."

_I don't even know if I'm keeping the kid. _"Fine, Bubbles. If I keep her, you will be the godmother."

"Hey!" Blossom interjected suddenly, a look of utter betrayal on her perfect face. "I've been here the whole time. Why don't I get to be the godmother?"

"Oh for fuck's sake," BC muttered, walking away as her sister thrust themselves into an intense debate over the right.

"Oh, Buttercup, we should go to the bookstore and pick up a few books on pregnancy for you. Either way, if you keep or not, you're carrying it nine months right?" A hesitant nod. "So we better get a few books on this. Better to understand what is happening and what we need to do rather than risk losing the baby, or you." Her eyes darted to their leader. "I'm surprised Blossom didn't take you already."

"She's been quite stubborn. It was only decided a week ago she wanted to keep it."

"Let's go then!"

The tension was very much gone from the atmosphere, but that didn't release any of the strain on Buttercup's weary self. "Tomorrow. I'm tired, I have to pee_ again_, and I could eat."

"Buttercup's right, this has been an . . . eventful afternoon for all of us. You should let the information absorb in a bit more, Bubbles, and I need to heal some before I can go walking around a bookstore. We'll all go out tomorrow, have a nice lunch, and then head over. Sound fair?"

Both Puffs nodded, Bubbles clearly more exuberant than her already fatigued sister. "Tomorrow it is, goodnight." Just as BC had turned, she whipped around like lightning, eyes slits as they stared down her youngest sister. "Do not even _think_ about telling anyone. Not the Professor, Butch, or anyone. I will kill you if you do."

"Sister's secret seal of silence!" Her fingers closed the invisible zipper on her lips, throwing the key away.

"Good. Goodnight."

Without another word of the subject, as far as her involvement, Buttercup climbed the stairs and concealed herself in the confines of her bedroom. Her sisters were now both at her side, in full support of her choices and aiding like she knew they always would. Bubbles words continuously played in her mind as she curled up under the blankets, burrowing herself in the darkness.

_Bubs thinks I can take care of the baby, that _we_ can take care of it. Maybe she's right . . . but what if, for once in her life . . . she's wrong? _

The question ate at her already strained heart and mind, but with great effort, she shoved her worries away and pressed her hand to her stomach, skin to skin. Kicking she couldn't feel, even she knew it was far too early for that. But some movement, that similar sort of swirling feel that made her constantly aware the baby was alive started up once more.

_You only seem to do that when I acknowledge you. Could it be . . . you understand that I'm talking to you? _

The swirling continued, and as Buttercup's hearing focused entirely, she was almost certain she could hear the heart beating. It was but a soft flutter, similar to humming bird wings, but with that rhythm that made her certain it was the _bum-bum _of the baby's beating heart.

_Beautiful . . ._ The one word that seemed to come to mind, but that was all it took to get across her feelings for the child within her. The sound of its heart, the images in her mind, BC could see it already. _You're going to be the most beautiful thing in the world._

xxx

"BC, look at this," the perky little blonde said, latte in one hand and a purple rectangular novel in the other. "This book is perfect."

The pregnant Puff set the encyclopedia of a book back onto the shelf, focusing on her sister entirely. "Why is that? I can't tell what the fuck is the difference between any of the guides on this fucking wall."

"Watch you're language, the baby can understand," she snapped, her blue eyes on her scowling sister. "It says so right here."

"Really?" Buttercup snatched the book from her hands and read the entire page, seeing clear as day that it was certain. "Wow, this actually isn't bad." She flipped through it entirely, skimming the back and table of contents as well. "Wow, this is fantastic. It's broken down into trimesters, months, weeks, _and_ days. Geez! It's gives a walkthrough of literally every day of the pregnancy, from details on the mother to the baby, and even tips." She returned her gaze to her smug appearing baby sister. "Where did you find this?"

"I grabbed it from the magic portal that comes out of my ass." Her face fell into a grimace. "From the shelf, Sherlock. Where did you think I got it?" She quickly snatched the book back and continued searching. "This book really is incredible. It has health facts, tips, and gives you detailed checklists for literally everything! Not to mention a nutrition facts list, and advice on every symptom you'll ever have, but exercise tips, and all that."

"Dayum, they thought of everything. Hey Blossom, what do you think of-" but as BC turned, she found herself entirely alone. "Where is Blossom?"

Both searched aimlessly for her, only to learn the MIA Puff was, of all places, in the love section a mere five feet from their location currently. Her cascading red hair left her shielded from their views, but it was all too apparent she was exceptionally focused on the words in one book, the title unknown to the utterly perplexed sisters watching.

"Bitch, get your ass over here and help me find a book," Buttercup called after her, tone sharper and exceedingly sarcastic in comparison to her mood prior to the pregnancy.

Her pink eyes darted up from the book, shoving it back onto the shelf before making her way back. "What's up?" she inquired, her tone slightly off.

"Lookin' up advice on how to tell your man you're dying to jump his bones?"

The leader said not a word, instead settling for taking the book in her youngest sister's hand and smack the green Puff hard on the arm multiple times.

"Ow! Watch it, bitch." _I'm with child here!_ "Like you weren't thinking it."

"Hey, don't break the book! It would suck if we got it broken. It totally ruins it." Bubbles quickly snatched the book-for-weapon out of her eldest sibling's clutches, skimming it silently a moment. "We wanted your opinion on this book. We both think it's totally perfect for the pregnancy."

"Yeah, it legit gives you _everything_ someone will ever need for pregnancy. I think it's perfect."

Now under control, Blossom took the novel from her outstretched hand and glanced at it curiously. "The Complete Pregnancy Guild for Expecting Mothers," she read aloud, flipping it over interestedly. "Wow, this really does have everything."

"My thoughts exactly," Bubbles concurred. "I mean, it even says 'Everything a Mom Needs to Know About Pregnancy and Motherhood' right on the front. So it must be good, right?"

Blossom examined its contents thoroughly, as well as silently before finally adding, "If you guys like it, I think it's fantastic. Is that all you think would be necessary?"

"Nope," BC answered wholeheartedly, taking the book into her clutches. "It's perfect."

"What perfect?" a deep and sensual voice murmured deep into her ear suddenly, startling the Puff beyond comprehension, as well as her sisters. "Jeez, babe, a little jumpy today?"

"Butch, what the fuck are you doing here?" she snapped, smacking his arm forcefully, as if it would take back any pride she had from her girly scream. _Shit, I really need to curve the cursing. The baby can hear it._

He flashed a pearly white grin that stretched from ear to ear, smirking at his leader a moment upon his coming to Blossom's side. "We were just hitting up the mechanical section. I need a few books on that car I'm fixing up, so Brick decided to tag along. How about you?"

"What did you girls get?" Brick inquired curiously, taking a sideways glance at the cover in BC's tightening grip. "Pregnancy guide?"

"It's for our uncle's wife," Blossom quickly explained, sounding too even toned and truthful to be natural. "She just told us she's pregnant, so we're helping her out by getting a book or two for her."

"Why is it I find it incredibly hot when you're so caring like that?" Brick remarked playfully, sparing her a small suggestive look before turning his attention to the other two. "That's really nice of you girls, helping her out like that."

"Bricky-boy's right," Butch added with a smile, his arm going tenderly around BC's shoulders. "The kid is lucky to have cousins like you."

"Cousins . . . right . . . So, shall we check out?"

"Sound's good baby," he agreed, ushering is girl out with Brick and the two sisters in tow.

He set their books onto the counter with BC's, insisting to the cashier they were together on his tab, much to Buttercup's protest. The cashier smiled up at the Greens, her face bright with glee.

"That will be thirty six dollars and twenty eight cents, and congratulations on your pregnancy, Miss."

"Thanks," was all BC could mutter, her mind too lost in thought as she took the offered bag.

"Oh, she's not pregnant," Butch interjected, offering a friendly laugh at the misunderstanding. "Her aunt is."

Buttercup's eyes unintentionally darted to Blossom's, the nervous exchange regretfully noticed by the cashier and Brick, though no one said a peep as they made their way to the exit.

"So," Butch began, taking his books out of the bag for BC to claim as her own. "How about you ladies join us for a few drinks? A few friends of ours own a bar and they are willing to let us slide, so long as we're out before happy hour starts. We got like five hours, a few drinks should be no problem. Y'all up for it?"

_Shit! Shit! Shit! He wants us to come along for a drink?! I wanna see Blossom get us out of this one._

"Butch, it's like noon and you want to get a drink?"

"Duh, BC, do you not know me? At least I don't get wasted. A beer or two with our metabolism is like a half glass of wine to the rest of the world."

Both Blossom and Buttercup smacked their palm to the forehead, wondering how this boy managed to make it to this age at all.

"Riiight . . . we'll Buttercup can't come. We all promised the Professor not to do anything 'teenager like' while he's gone. That involves drinking, spending nights out, and sex." All noticed the sudden tension between the Reds at Blossom's words. "He said he knows we'll do it, like all teenagers, but he'd rather we at least be responsible and not do it while he's not there, incase he'd ever have to get us from somewhere or drive, just to be cautious."

"Sounds like a true father," Brick mused, sparing a small smile Blossom's way before adding, "Very well. I guess we'll head out then. I'll call you tonight."

"Same here, babez," Butch added with a playful little wink of his own Buttercup's way. "I'll hit you up tonight. See you ladies around."

Just when Buttercup expected to be able to breathe a sigh of relief, Brick's eyes met hers, narrower than before, suspicious even.

_Shit, don't tell me . . ._

Not a word was said on either of their parts, and the Puffs watched in a breathless silence as Brick's Aston Martin vanished around the corner.

"Shit that was close," Bubbles said suddenly, her face abnormally pale with shock. "Great job with the cover, sis. Those acting lessons in freshman year paid off."

"I wouldn't be so quick to thank me yet," Blossom admitted regretfully. "I think someone is on to us."

"Your boy?" the two harmonized, only to receive a slow nod in reply. "Shit."

"Language," the leader snapped sternly. "Let's get to the grocery store. I have to get stocked up for the house, or BC is never going to get out of my hair."

"Hey, don't blame me, blame the pregnancy. I feel like a fat-ass already. And I'm only eleven weeks."

"Can you drop me off at the house? I wanna tidy up a little before the Professor comes home tonight."

"That's a good idea, it'll be better to have him come home and be in a great mood than in a dark or bitter one and risk ruining BC's telling him chance."

"Ah fuck, do I really have to tell him? Can't I just move to Canada and let you guy's tell him?" Both Puff's gave the pregnant sister a dark glare before starting for Blossom's Sonata. "Seriously, guys?"

"No," both replied, saying nothing more to their objecting sister the entire rest of the way.

xxx

"So what does the list the doctor gave you say to buy?"

Buttercup looked over the extensive list of suggested meals and snacks before her, following behind her sister and the cart as they continued down the fruits and veggies aisle.

"Well veggies of course, legumes, anything whole-wheat . . . Hmm . . . precupped veggies and fruits, aaaand chocolate syrup."

Blossom stopped midstep, sparing her a dark scowl. "Nice try, no."

"What! It's actually on this list! Look, it's actually doctor recommended." She passed the sheet to her papers, proving her innocence.

"Huh . . . 'Drizzle it on fruit, if that will encourage you to up your fruit intake'. Hmm . . . Very well, we'll pick up a bottle."

"I knew you were hiding something . . ." a voice said from behind them, bringing an audible shrill from both. "Blossom, Buttercup, something you want to share?"

The Puffs whirled around, staring up at the Ruff before them with looks of utter fright.

"Brick, when did you get here?"

"W-W-We don't know what you're talking about."

He stared from one girl to the other as their run-arounds were spilled. "Don't bullshit me, I heard the entire conversation, and I saw what happened back at the bookstore. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together."

"Butch was too dumb to figure it out," Buttercup muttered very much under her breath, though Brick made no remark as he crossed his arms. "Fine," she confessed. "You figured us out."

"BC-"

"No, Blossom. Let her speak."

"Brick, stop-"

"Blossom, it's fine." Buttercup's gaze returned to Brick, standing taller now than before. "I'm pregnant." Her hands went to her stomach, lifting the shirt to just below her bra, revealing the now prominent potbelly she was sporting under the looser fitting tee.

His eyes focused on the revealed bump, eyes widening as his suspicious were confirmed. "That's not exactly a recent discovery, is it?"

"No," she confirmed, lowering her shirt. "Eleven weeks isn't exactly a new discovery."

With a slow released breath, his long milky fingers ran through his short tousled red locks, as if it would help sooth his overworked mind in the least. "BC, how could you cheat on Butch like that? I mean, I know you two weren't really dating, but you knew how he felt about you. How could you go and get pregnant by some other-" He stopped short at the look of guilt washing over the woman's face, as well as his counterpart. "Oh shit . . ."

"Yeah . . . Surprise!" Blossom began for her, stepping closer to her counterpart. "You're an uncle."

Despite the feeling of her hands touching his forearm tenderly, Brick couldn't resist doubling over in a fit of hysteria, laughter gathering the attention of passing bystanders who continued to shop.

"Holy shit, this is rich. Butch is a daddy . . ." The sound of his words suddenly registered in his own mind, and he sobered up. "Holy shit, Butch is a daddy. What the flying fuck!"

"Language," both Puffs surprisingly snapped.

"The baby can understand you, jackass," BC added, her hand going to her mouth at the last word. "Shit, this cutting back on cursing is really going to be hard."

He watched the way the girls interacted, remarking here and there on the abilities of the baby. "You two aren't kidding about this, are you?" A regretful nod on both of their parts. "Does Butch know?"

"Hell _fucking_ no!"

"Buttercup, bite your tongue. No, he doesn't know, Brick . . . and we can't tell him just yet. BC isn't quite ready too."

His eyes turned to the scowling Puff. "BC, this isn't something you're gonna be able to hide for long, especially considering your showing that much already."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She fell silent, mind far off as she considered his words. "Christmas is in four days, and everyone will be together. I'll tell the Professor then, Butch then . . . everyone then." Her head snapped up, a dark and almost menacing glare now chiseled onto her features. "You _better_ keep it a secret until I tell them, or I will personally kill you. I don't mind having this baby in a jail cell."

For a moment, it was apparent he didn't know whether she were serious or joking, but with the identical look on his counterpart's face, he was clearly willed into silence.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone. But if you girls don't tell him by the end of Christmas day, I will. He _needs_ to know. Trust me, I think his response will be in your favor."

The words struck a chord in BC's mind, and her expression softened. "W-What makes you so sure?"

"I know my brother," he admitted confidently, his arm wrapping now around the smiling Blossom's waist. "And I know his feelings for you. Believe me when I say this . . . he's head-over-heels crazy about you. He'll end up stepping up for this kid, even if he is just as big a kid himself."

Hearing his words . . . the confidence behind his promise, it sent an utter wave of bliss and relief through her that nearly brought her to her knees.

"So do you ladies need some help shopping? Butch isn't expecting me back for at least two hours, and I want details on this whole thing. Because _someone . . ._" He spared Blossom a brief glance. "Clearly didn't trust me enough to tell me from the beginning."

Blossom blushed under his arm, while BC could only laugh as she pushed the cart, shoving all thoughts aside and jumping into their world changing tale of a play-by-play the rest of their shopping trip. Though, as they were unloading the groceries at home, Christmas dinner plans being laid out in the form of words, a new wave of worry started to overtake her.

She had four days . . . four days to figure out what she would say, how she would break the news to everyone, Butch especially.

_Crap . . . shit just got heavy._


End file.
